Predictable, but anyways:

US puts F-35 STOVL variant on two-year probation
http://www.janes.com/news/defence/air/jdw/jdw110110_1_n.shtml

Presidential debt-reduction commission will propose canceling the short-takeoff-and-landing (STOVL) version of the F-35 fighter under development for the U.S. Marines.
http://www.defensenews.com/story.php?i=5152759&c=AME&s=TOP

First link… OLD NEWS, from 1 1/2 months ago, and well-discussed around here.

Second link… OLDER NEWS, from 2 1/2 months ago… and NONE of that commission’s recommendations have made it anywhere except into the trash.

Funny Peter they did say on the Documentary that if the ditch switch had been thrown the rear doors would not have submerged as the water coming in through the damage to the rear fuselage so she would have floated for hours on flat water as the ditch switch opens vents so flooding can be contained and spread over the whole fuselage underfloor.

curlyboy

The only thing allowing water to spread into the forward underfloor spaces would have done is to reduce the forward flotation, thus reducing the flotation of the whole aircraft, and likely making it sink faster…. the skin damage to the lower rear fuselage was far too extensive to prevent the flooding aft.

Here is a pic which shows the skin damage… yes, the tail has been unbolted, but look lower.

http://i.pbase.com/o6/74/859174/1/109719455.iNdN1Muj.image009.jpg

Here is the whole sequence. Note the intact skin on the underside of the forward section:

http://www.pbase.com/sergeanttim/flight_1549_rolls_to_teterboro

Obviously all the Space Shuttles will end up in US museums, and rightly so, but what would it take to convince NASA to pop one on the back of their Boeing 747 transporter and fly her to the UK, or indeed how about a world tour? Just a suggestion!

Considering the recent cuts in NASA’s budget, you’ll have to pay 100% of the costs… including salaries of the personnel involved, etc.

Somalia is a Muslim country, and many of its more “active” populace are sympathetic to the more radical factions of Islam.

The Americans were traveling with their cargo bins full of Bibles to give out.

There was a general concern that this might anger the “pirates” and lead to a tragedy like this.

12 pilots… how many were in a RN Harrier squadron?

http://www.portsmouth.co.uk/news/local/east-hampshire/speculation_mounting_over_carrier_fighter_jet_1_1255750

Speculation mounting over carrier fighter jet

Published on Thu Aug 19 10:51:41 BST 2010

Royal Navy pilots have been sent to America to train on catapult-launched fighter jets – prompting speculation the cheaper aircraft will be bought for the new Portsmouth-based carriers.

…..

The MoD has confirmed a group of 12 Royal Navy pilots will undergo training with the US Marine Corps over the next eight years – including training on the catapult-launched F-18 fighter jets.

…..

Portsmouth South MP Mike Hancock, who sits on the Commons defence committee, said: ‘It’s been a long time since British ships had catapult launched fighters so pilots would need training if that’s the direction we’re heading. There are a lot of unanswered questions.

A little ironic that Ukraine would be upset about that. 😉

Um… the shipyard that built both Varyag and the Russian Kuznetsov is in the Ukraine… so the place where the documents were stored was in the Ukraine. That’s why he was tried and sent to prison in the Ukraine… he violated Ukrainian law.

The person is a Russian citizen, that’s all.

I never remove copyrights… why should I?

Similarly, I try to give credit to anyone whose information or posts I pass on… its only polite.

While the 150′ C11-2 was the shortest USN steam catapult, the RN had the BS4, which was shorter yet:

BS4…..103ft…160ft…40,000lb@78kt…Mod Majestic, Hermes 1959
…………………………..30,000lb@110kt

BS4M…112ft…169ft…?……………………Melbourne 1971+

BS4C …139ft…175ft…35,000lb@99kt…Centaur 1958

The extra 9 feet in HMAS Melbourne’s stroke length was added in 1971 when she was fitted with a bridle catcher extension… the end of the piston assembly was relocated from the forward end of the flight deck into the “horn” of the bridle catcher.

Note in the second pair of photos how close to the bow the catapult track ends.